Consultant - Human Rights and Public Health

Purpose of consultancy

The consultant will contribute to the development of health and human rights technical products, guidance to other departments and through regional and country offices, to Member States.

The consultant will also be responsible for coordination, facilitation, research and writing in developing health and human rights technical products and capacity-building trainings.

Background

In its 13th General Programme of Work (GPW13) 2019-2023, WHO commits, at all levels, “to the implementation of gender equality, equity and human rights-based approaches to health that enhance participation, build resilience, and empower communities” and to a strategic shift in stepping up leadership in gender, equity and human rights across the three levels of the organization.

The Gender, Equity & Human Rights (GER) Department is situated in the Director-General’s Office, with the mission to advance the “leave no one behind” (LNOB) agenda in the organization, including its work with Member States, civil society and other stakeholders. The work is implemented through leadership, normative guidance, and technical support across the three levels of WHO. In keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals LNOB commitment, the team has a critical role in leading work on integrating equity, gender and human rights across the work of the Organization. The LNOB approach is grounded in the framework of international human rights treaties and mechanisms and operationally directed to programmes of technical assistance, normative guidance and policy advice that reaches the furthest behind first, consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Deliverables

• Develop, in collaboration with relevant WHO HQ, regional and country office technical experts and OHCHR focal points, a joint WHO/OHCHR publication: Practical Guide on human rights and UHC (Expected by 15 November 2022).
• Research and draft summary briefs on country examples and case studies on the operationalization of the human rights-based approach (HRBA) to sustainable development in line with the standards and principles of international human rights law and SDG & WHO guidance and training tools (Expected by 30 July 2022).
• Develop and disseminate 2 GER technical products to WHO 3L programmes and external stakeholders, including providing technical inputs on the final content of the briefs, Guidance Notes and presentations (Expected by 30 June 2022).
• Develop and coordinate 4 - 5 webinars, virtual trainings or other capacity-building events on health and human rights technical products to support WHO’s implementation of the SG’s Call to Action for Human Rights and Our Common Agenda Report Proposals, in collaboration with GEHR leads in HQ, Regional and County Offices and external stakeholders (Expected by 30 September 2022).
• Develop a database of human rights and global health technical experts, including global, regional and country-level civil society/NGO, academic, and UN entity experts with a focus on LMIC and marginalized populations/groups in vulnerable contexts (Expected by 30 July 2022).

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:
Advanced university degree in one of the following, in order of preference: international law, preferably international human rights law, development studies, public health (with a focus on community health), political science, or related social science field.

Desirable:
PhD or post-graduate work and/or fellowship in international human rights law and public health.

Experience:

Essential:

• A minimum of five to ten years of relevant experience, of which some should be at the international level, in the area of human rights and public health legal, policy and programmatic analysis, research, writing and/or training.
• Experience in conducting human rights and health research, projects and/or programmes in low and middle-income countries.
• Work experience in the areas of human rights and gender equality in UN organizations or agencies, NGOs or civil society organizations.
• Experience in desk research (peer-reviewed and grey literature), writing and editing on health and human rights topics.

Desirable:
Previous experience with WHO, including familiarity with GPW13 commitments related to human rights, gender equality and health equity.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Demonstrated knowledge of the application of human rights-based approaches to health development programming using the AAAQ standard of the right to health.
• Demonstrated understanding of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular SDG 3 on health and well-being and the cross-cutting principles of human rights, gender equality & LNOB.
• Demonstrated knowledge of UN human rights mechanisms (Universal Periodic Review, human rights treaty bodies, and Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council) related to health and the underlying determinants of health.
• Exceptional research, writing and editing skills in English & strong facilitation and communication skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to develop and administer projects on time.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills; integrity, tact, discretion and sensitivity to cultural differences.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team to achieve common goals; good negotiation and advocacy skills.
• Knowledge of WHO’s publication development and clearance processes.
• Knowledge of MS office software applications (Word, PPT, Teams, Outlook).

Languages required:

Essential:
Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:
Intermediate knowledge of French, Spanish or another UN language.

Location:

Off-site – Home-based.

Travel:

Not required

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration:

Band level B: USD 7,000 - 9,980 per month at 80%

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):

N/A

Expected duration of contract:

6 months

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html